One of President Donald Trump’s longtime advisors, Roger Stone, says his administration has an opportunity to move forward with marijuana rescheduling—or, even broader legalization—in a way that Democrats who regularly tout the reform failed to achieve when they controlled the White House and Congress.
During a segment “The Stone Zone” that aired at 77WABC Radio on Monday, Stone replied to Trump’s weekend social media post where he shared a clip that praised the health benefits hemp-derived CBD for seniors.
Stone said that the video President Trump shared discussed how CBD oil can help to relieve pain, reduce stress and promote better sleep. Stone stated that CBD was the nonpsychoactive substance found in marijuana. It does not make you high and is the source of many of the medical benefits of cannabis.
The president said that it is well understood that he has always been “a supporter of state’s rights” on the issue of legalizing cannabis for medical purposes.
It has been that way since the beginning. He said, “Go back all the time to the 2016 presidential campaign.” “I have personally been an advocate of President Trump’s reclassification or declassification of cannabis. Right now cannabis is classified as a Schedule I substance, alongside heroin, MDMA, and LSD.
Trump has not commented directly on the video he released over the past weekend. He did, however, previously endorse moving cannabis to Schedule III in the Controlled Substances Act. Last month, he announced that a final decision regarding the reform of Schedule I would be reached within a matter of weeks.
Stone slightly misrepresented the potential impact of this policy change. He said it “would allow it for medicinal use”, and that it “would also solve a few banking issues” with state-licensed marijuana businesses.
The FDA would have to approve marijuana as prescribed medicine before it could be accessed. This is not likely to happen in its botanical form. Cannabis businesses would be able to take advantage of federal tax deductions that they were previously barred from taking under the Internal Revenue Service code 280E. However, since marijuana would not be legalized federally, there would still likely remain banking concerns for this industry.
Big Pharma is not happy with this particular decision by President Trump. Stone stated that they prefer to make you buy pharmaceuticals to cause greater harm. It’s a simple matter of commonsense. Alcohol is probably far more damaging to the human system than cannabis, even in the full sense of marijuana, could ever be—yet alcohol sales are legal, they’re regulated and they’re taxed by the states. Then why cannabis [which is] How is oxycontin pain medication different from oxycontin?
Stone—a Republican political operative who has served as a senior campaign aide to Trump as well as to Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan during their administrations—noted that he became a “convert” for legalization when his father was dying from cancer and cannabis “alleviated his suffering when his time came.”
He has repeated the importance of this experience many times in interviews.
He said, “I don’t have any qualms with my sister or me deciding to buy him cannabis which eased his final days.” “I hope President Trump does either reclassify, or even better, declassify cannabis—and does it now.”
He noted that “Democrats” always talked about marijuana reform but failed to implement meaningful policy during previous sessions.
He said that was the case under former President Barack Obama, but it was also the case under former President Joe Biden for one session—though Biden did initiate the rescheduling process that is now being considered by Trump.
Stone stated, “They didn’t do anything.” I pray that Trump makes a different decision.
The GOP operative made the same argument for reforming cannabis in a MEDCAN24 op-ed earlier this month.
—
MEDCAN24 has been tracking the hundreds of bills relating to cannabis, psychedelics or drug policies that have passed through state legislatures as well as Congress in this past year. Patreon subscribers who donate at least $25/month have access to the interactive maps and charts as well as our hearing calendar.
Find out more about our marijuana law tracker. To gain access, become a Patreon supporter.
—
In the meantime, a Republican senator who sponsored a bill bipartisan on cannabis banking said recently that Trump downgrading marijuana’s classification would “be an important domino”, to help advance his legislation.
Trump’s final decision on rescheduling is still up in the air. Despite his endorsement of the policy change on the campaign trail ahead of his election for a second term, he declined to restate that support when asked about it during a briefing late last month—though he did say a decision would come within weeks.
Gage Skidmore is the photographer of this image element.
MEDCAN24 could not exist without readers’ support. Please consider making a Patreon monthly pledge if you depend on our cannabis journalism for information.
